September 02, 2014

Top Alzheimer's Coverage

The New York Times and Washington Post highlight USA2 board member Meryl Comer's new book "Slow Dancing with a Stranger", the need for holistic Alzheimer's care, and travel tips for Alzheimer's caregivers (read more).  
 

Must reads

  • A September 1, 2014 New York Times book review of Meryl Comer's "Slow Dancing with a Stranger" highlighted Meryl's efforts to portray life as an Alzheimer's caregiver. According to the review, "She argues persuasively that we can’t “age-proof our lives” and that this disease, “the dark side of longevity,” is a “looming health catastrophe” for us all. “My greatest fear,” she writes, “is that mine will be the family next door by midcentury.”...But these quibbles do not detract from the author’s success in achieving her stated goal: to deliver the “unvarnished reality” of Alzheimer’s. The good news and the bad news about this book are the same: It is very painful to read, as well it should be."
  • An August 30, 2014 Washington Post article article underscored Meryl Comer's efforts to raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease and its impact on caregivers. According to the article, "In “Slow Dancing With a Stranger,” Comer offers an unflinching and intimate account about what it means to surrender one’s career to care for a stricken loved one and conveys a sense of passion and even frustration with a society that she believes has been slow to acknowledge the spread of Alzheimer’s disease or make adequate provisions to tend to its caregivers. It’s a love story without a happy ending, because the ending for Alzheimer’s patients can seem more like endless twilight. And it’s a call to arms for caregivers such as Comer."
  • An August 30, 2014 The Columbus Dispatch letter-to-the-editor by ClergyAgainstAlzheimer's founder Rabbi Cary Kozberg underscored the need to consider holistic care for Alzheimer's and dementia patients. According to Rabbi Kozberg, "As someone who has included music in his work with people with dementia for 25 years, I would humbly remind readers of what I previously pointed out in these pages, in a March 2013 letter: “ People with Alzheimer’s are still people. While their memory and cognitive abilities may be greatly impaired, they still have feelings and are capable of experiencing emotions, and giving and receiving love and affection without reservation. Thus, what can be done is simply to learn to relate to them in different ways.” Those who continue to preach that life loses all joy and meaning when the mind fades away need to start wrapping their own minds around this fact: Even though the mind of the person with dementia may indeed fade away, his or her heart can and often does continue to thrive and flourish."
News you can use 
  • A September 1, 2014 Los Angeles Times article highlighted tips for traveling with Alzheimer's sufferers. According to the article, "The obstacles to travel for people with dementia and thinking problems (which is a larger group than just people with Alzheimer's) are considerable. A trip may be doable but requires the caregiver to do lots of planning, said Jan Dougherty, family and community services director for Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Phoenix...Considering whether the trip is too much. Gandy suggested connecting with family through Skype or other applications or devices that let you see the event; Dougherty suggested finding a substitute caregiver or respite relief to stay with your loved one while you go to the event."
Book review 
  • A September 1, 2014 Washington Post book review of "We Are Not Ourselves" by Matthew Thomas highlighted the impact of Alzheimer's on one family. According to the review, "Alzheimer’s creates a very particular kind of horror: The loss of family bonds, of a life’s hard work, of everything that defines a person. Thomas masterfully captures this affliction, sparing us no detail in rendering the emotional, physical and financial toll it takes on a family."